You walk into a restaurant, the attendant comes in, and you can’t help but notice the graphic t-shirt he is wearing. You have ordered the food, but all this time you are more interested in buying that t-shirt. That’s precisely what merchandising is about. So what exactly is merchandising?

In simple words, it’s everything you do to promote and sell your products once the potential customer is in your establishment. Merchandising can be with a wide range of products from t-shirts to keychains. The higher the visibility, the better it is for your brand. But how can your restaurant benefit from merchandising?

How can your restaurant benefit from merchandising?

Merchandising is a tricky business, but if done correctly can work wonders for any brand. With limited time and space to attract a customer, merchandising can be a means to attract more customers to your restaurant. You can also use merchandising for your loyalty program. Keeping items only accessible to loyalty cardholders can be a great way to increase sales while ensuring you have a long list of regulars. Restaurant with outstanding merchandise stand out and can drastically improve their brand visibility. However, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t rely on merchandise as a steady source of income.

Things to keep in mind when it comes to merchandise?

Branding:

Strong branding is essential to establish any restaurant. So, before you start merchandising focus your efforts on creating durable brand design. The logo, menu and the decor of your restaurant should reflect a consistent theme that will connect with your target audience. Be it a high-end dining restaurant or a go-to cafe for youngsters; consistency is the key. Creating a brand guideline is one way to ensure that the colour scheme, font size and logo size are consistent throughout all channels of communication.

Your merchandise be it a t-shirt or a coffee mug should reflect the same brand design. In simple terms, customers should be able to identify your merchandise by just looking at it. Focusing on consistent branding will help create a strong brand identity, both online and offline.

Product:

Once you have a strong brand design in place, it’s time to decide on products you want to merchandise. Merchandise doesn’t always have to be t-shirts and coffee mugs. You can choose your product depending on the type of restaurant and the target audience you are catering to.

For instance, if your restaurant’s theme is music items like guitar pins and posters work well. A coffee shop may benefit by selling travel mugs that can directly relate to their end product. The goal is to maximize your brand visibility to attract new customers. It’s recommended you find local suppliers for all your merchandise as its cheaper and reliable. If you have the budget and resources, you can also have strategic partnerships with some brands.

Placement:

Now that you have decided on your product, it’s time to focus on their placement for maximizing sales. Selling merchandise is all about getting more eyes on the product. It’s always advised to place the cheaper items next to the cash counter as people won’t think twice before purchasing it. The more expensive items should be placed close to the door or where the visibility is maximum.

While placing your product, keep in mind that the customer should be able to touch and feel them. People love to be able to pick things up and feel it in their hands before they decide to purchase it. Your displays should be neat and must be changed occasionally. Ensure all your products have clear price tags on it. Merchandise without price specifics discourages customers from buying them. Lastly, keep track of items which don’t get sold often. This way, you can either discard them in the future or try cross-selling those items by pairing them with your popular products.

Promotion:

Now for the most crucial part of selling your products, promote it the right way. Use social media to your advantage. Millennials and Gen Z are highly active on social media platforms. Your communication should be consistent and precise on all platforms. Encourage your customers to post pictures with your merchandise online. This way your customers can turn into your digital brand ambassadors, and you will save huge cost on marketing. Such images also provide a level of authenticity for your target audience. However, note that merchandising is not the primary source of income, and hence your social media shouldn’t be filled with posts of your merchandise. You also need to focus on the end product you are selling.

Merchandising is a long-term process. It’s also essential that your end product is as good as your merchandise. A loyal customer base is the key to any successful restaurant and merchandising is one way to achieve it.

Branding is basically a pot of key ingredients which makes your business who it is and makes it recognizable. If you think of some of the most successful multinational companies, you’ll see they have a winning brand strategy and their logo and products are instantly recognised around the world. Branding is also something that is a continuous process within your company – it’s not about ‘creating a brand’ and then thinking the job is done.

From researching the psychology of colour to deciding on your tagline, your brand strategy can make or break your business. Let’s take a look at our A-Z of branding.

A – Audience. Identify your target audience and always communicate with them in mind.

B – Brand Positioning. Find out how you are perceived in relation to your competition. Does it need to change?

C – Colour. Never underestimate the importance of colour across all of your digital and printed materials. Keep it consistent and understand what emotions are related to which shades.

D – Design. Design an eye-catching logo, winning website and attractive packaging and you’re half way to becoming a memorable brand.

E – Experience. Understand your customer experience and enhance it if possible.

F – Familiarity. This is the end goal, for people to feel familiar with your brand.

G – Grand. When it comes to branding, go big or go home. Small businesses should think like a big business and the strategy will work.

H – Harmful. Wise up to the fact that branding mistakes can be harmful to your business reputation.

I – Integration. Once you have defined your brand you need to integrate it into all aspects of the business, from answering the phone to replying to social media comments.

J – Justification. Don’t make business decisions off the cuff – they all need to be justified by your brand strategy, or you could lose consistency.

K – Knowledge. Always strive to know more about business branding and stay on top of current trends.

L – Labels. Business labels and stickers used on packaging need to send the right message.

M – Marketing. Branding and marketing often go hand in hand, because the strategy is often in line with marketing materials such as the website, social media and sales brochures.

N – Name. Your brand name is one of the most important parts of your overall strategy, and it is very difficult to change down the line.

O – Opposition. It’s important to stay ahead of your competition and differentiate yourselves from others in your marketplace.

P – Personality. Your company should have a personality and you have a chance to showcase it every single day.

Q – Question. Question your brand strategy regularly and evaluate how successful it is.

R – Rebranding. Businesses develop over time, so if you think your values and mission has changed then it’s time for a rebrand.

S – Social Media. It’s an essential part of any successful business’ digital marketing strategy, and it’s a great way to promote your branding message.

T – Tagline. What are you trying to do, what problem are you trying to solve? Keep it short and sweet and most of all, relevant.

U – User. Always have your end user in mind when making decisions – why will they want to buy this, how are we improving their quality of life? How are we connecting with our users?

V – Values. Think about your biggest business values and if they come across in all of your communications.

W – Worldwide. If done right, your branding could take your business worldwide.

X – X Factor. Your brand message and ethos can really give your company the X Factor if you put the time and effort into the perfect brand strategy.

Y – You. Understand that you and the business are two separate entities, and therefore have two separate beliefs, missions and personalities. Your company’s brand personality is different from your own, and your favourite colour shouldn’t automatically become the company’s design colour palette.

Z – Zeal. Be zealous and pro-active with your brand – don’t let it get left behind as your business grows. We are here to help you every step of the way.

Here at Media Alliance - We brand with love!

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SWAG Promotional Merchandise

A slang term used to describe free stuff and giveaways offered by vendors at trade shows to encourage attendees to visit their booth. Yup, it's an acronym! Swag is usually company-branded merchandise and is given away as a form of advertising.

Swag can also be obtained through Blogs & Websites when a company wants to promote their brand or products.

We love branding! SWAG is our game!!!

Our Services include:
Laser Cutting / engraving
UV printing / Direct Digital
Pad Printing / Embroidery
Silk Screen Printing
CD & DVD Replication / Duplication
Sourcing / Importing
Vinyl Stickers
Corporate Gifting / Apparel / Headwear